Peter Morgan talks Freddie Mercury biopic

“I didn't want to write an AIDS movie”

Sacha Baron Cohen will soon be shrugging into the glittery stagewear of Freddie Mercury for a big screen biopic of the Queen singer, and writer Peter Morgan has been talking about what we should expect from the film.

Firstly, he reveals that it will not revolve entirely around Mercury’s contraction of AIDS, placing the focus instead on the frontman’s relationship with his other band members.

“I didn't want to write an AIDS movie, to be honest with you,” he tells Cinema Blend. “And then, I just looked at the period. It's sort of where he rejects [ the other members of Queen ] and comes back to them.

“It's sort of like a family movie. It's sort of like I hate my family, I want to be independent, and then I come back.”

The writer goes on to reveal that the film’s producers – Queen band members Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon – are giving him advice, though he’s unsure “how much they’ll like what I write”.

Sounds emotional. One thing we’re quite sure of – the film will include a re-staging of the 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium.